Welcome Home
by Imagimanga
Summary: It's been twelve years since their parents have died. Alfred and Matthew finally get to live in a home. It's a bit more than they expected, and so are the others who live here. Arthur is hiding something, and so is Francis. The two boys are stepping into a deeper lake than what their eyes perceive.
1. Saudade

The boy's eyes flickered back at the sound of man cursing at him. He cursed and slashed the back tire in front of him with a knife. He quickly stood up and called out a name. A boy similar in face appeared from the other side of the car and nods. The other started running and the first one followed after giving the front tire a slash. He caught up in a few seconds and the both of them ran towards a deserted street. The two laughed as they hurried away from the angry man with a black beard.

They were flying through the streets, sounding their laughter in the cold, moist night air. The moon smiled down at them in indifference as remaining droplets of rain stained the windows of cars and buildings. The first of the two boys jumped and danced as he ran, and the other laughed at his brother's antics. They were finally free for a night and a half.

* * *

A phone slammed down on the rickety blue table, a hand over the screen. The woman pushed the phone closer to the boy. Her long, hot pink nails tapped on the screen and she glares at the blond. "What is this?" she growled.

The boy let his cerulean eyes meet the woman's and he dropped them to the pink encased thing. "A phone."

She slammed her hand on the table and a leg collapsed, causing a bowl of cereal to spill onto a little boy's lap. He settled his angered eyes on the woman and the boy. He then moved to clean up the mess while another boy stared at the three warily. The woman continued. "What can be seen on the screen?"

The boy didn't hesitate. "I guess it's a text, but I can't tell what I should be noticing."

The woman lurched her arm out and grabbed at the boy's dirty hair. " _Ray_ told me that something happened to his _car_. I wonder who in the world would slash three of his car's tires."

"Pretty smart of the person," the boy muttered. He sneaked a small smile on his lips despite the pain in his head. "You can't get sued that way."

Now the woman was frustrated. She let go of the boy and slapped the washcloth out of the little boy's hand. The little boy didn't talk back, but he did send a deathly glare at the other boy who simply shrugged at him. "Now look, brat!" the woman spat. "I don't want you messing up my relationship with Ray! If you do this again, I'll be throwing you and your brother out for the rats to eat."

"Rats don't eat living humans," the boy retorted. "They only eat dead-looking things mostly—like you." He grinned at the woman's fuming face. "I got that one from Mattie."

"You always get them from Matthew," the little boy across from them finally spoke.

The woman pointed down to the floor. "Basement. Now."

The boy gulped, but he didn't hesitate. She wasn't allowed to hit them or abuse them. She didn't. But she did lock them in a stinking, dark basement where bugs and dead things reside. The kids joked that if you jumped hard enough, the house would fall and cave in the basement. Anyone who was sent there was wary and disgusted. Once in a while, the poor child would hear feet stomping or jumping on the floor above them coming from the mean kids.

The woman followed the boy to the door leading to the basement and waited until he started descending the stairs until she shut and locked the door. The boy wasn't too afraid. If he moved to the left corner, he would find an opening to a small base that he and his brother made the one time they were locked in for an entire five hours. The little room had a single light, a few books, and a stack of cards. It only had enough space to fit the boy and his brother, though it was still a tight area. The boy moved to the corner and pushed a box away from the wall. He crawled into the space and sighed. It would be a lonely hour. Usually it would only be thirty minutes, but messing with Morgans' boyfriend meant an hour in the basement. He always ended up in the basement somehow, sometimes dragging his brother with him unintentionally. Well, he never meant to bring his brother with him, but occasionally he accidentally let it slip out of his mouth. Speaking of which, that meant Matthew would join him soon.

As if on cue, footsteps sounded above him. The boy quickly jumped out of the area and pushed the box against the wall, hiding the light of the small, broken lamp. The door opened, Morgans peered out for the boy, and shut the door with a slam after his brother stepped onto the staircase. Footsteps creaked down the stairs and the boy grinned.

"Sorry," he said.

His brother shrugged. "It's fine, Alfred."

They entered the small space and sat on the cold floor across from each other. The both of them started pulling the cards out and play the only game they knew: go fish. As they prepared, Alfred started up a conversation. "It's so disgusting here..."

"Hm..."

"The other homes before this were better."

Matthew placed the remaining cards in front of him. "Miss Morgans isn't that bad. At least she doesn't yell too much. And she's always doing something relating to her boyfriend or something. Five's?"

"Go fish," Alfred mumbled. "Anyways, I can't wait to get out of this place."

"You mean running away? Or growing up?" Matthew reached out to the deck in front of him.

"Probably run away," Alfred whispered. "You know how it is. Queen's?"

"When?" Matthew handed him a queen. "When will we run?"

"I... I don't know." Alfred placed his deck of cards down. His head was hanging, but his eyes lifted to see Matthew. "Now?"

Matthew set his deck down. His head was in the same position as Alfred's. "We're thirteen, Alfred. What will we do?" he whispered.

"That's my point," Alfred continued, bitterly. "No one wants us. No one wants the teenagers. They like cute little kids that don't cause too much trouble. Plus, the ones that do look for kids are young, and they won't even look at teenagers. It's like adopting your own sibling. You don't do that. And the ones old enough are too busy with their entire lives. They're too busy living." He set his face in his hands. Alfred didn't let the stinging sensation in his eyes fall away in drops. "No one cares."

Matthew closed his eyes. Alfred wasn't completely wrong. Even so, he didn't spare his time correcting him. He was too busy hiding his stinging eyes as well. And that was how they spent the rest of the hour, tired and somber.

* * *

"Alfred, stop hogging the blanket..." Matthew muttered. He heard a sigh and felt someone shake his shoulder.

"It's morning already. Morgans will get angry if you don't wake up." The voice belonged to Alfred. Matthew then heard his brother walk away to the kitchen. Matthew sat up and groaned. He was having fun sleeping in, too... With another groan, he slipped out of bed and walked to the kitchen.

"Morning, Mattie!" Matthew turned his head to meet a joyful face. It was Charlie, a somewhat nice boy. At least, he wasn't the one who always placed bugs in his and Alfred's bed. Charlie was a good kid. Maybe too good.

"G'morning," Matthew replied sluggishly. "What's for breakfast?"

"Not pancakes," Alfred answered indifferently. "Bacon and eggs. What Morgans likes it to be."

Matthew shrugged and sat down to eat. "What's going on today?"

A ten year old boy—Elijah—appeared from the bathroom and grinned. "I'm glad you asked, Matthew." The rest of the boys rolled their eyes. "Due to some circumstances, someone _may_ be adopted out of here." He caught everyone's attention. All of the boys gathered around the table to listen to his story.

"You know the person who has all the papers for adoption? That guy's showing up today. So are a few other people. Probably the adopters. So? What do you think? Who'll leave this place first?"

Charlie turned to a six year old boy. "To tell the truth, I think it'll be Adam. You know, since he's the youngest."

Elijah nodded vigorously and gestured to the boy dramatically. "Of course it will be Adam! Look at his little chubby face! Nobody can resist it!" Elijah was grinning and shaking Adam by the shoulders. It seemed obvious that Adam would be leaving soon.

It only added to Matthew and Alfred's bitterness.

* * *

It was a long, hot drive to the foster home. Maybe if the man knew how uncomfortable the drive would be, he would have dressed in lighter clothes. He thought that it wouldn't be so scorching today, but he was mistaken. But under no circumstances would he drop out of this event. He looked in front of him towards the driver. "How much longer, Kiku?"

"Just a little more, Francis-san," the driver answered. He was clad in black pants, a white short sleeve, and a black vest. He was smart not to wear a jacket today, Francis thought, though he could have just lost the entire butler look for hot days like these.

"Really, you don't have to wear that uniform all the time," Francis stared, sweating just by looking at Kiku. "You can take off that jacket of yours too, Ma'am." He looked at the rearview mirror and winked at a young woman in the passenger seat of the limo. She still seemed a bit shocked from first laying her eyes on the limousine the day before.

Not too many came over to adopt these days, but it was an even bigger shock to see that the adopters were rich men. She also embarrassed herself by thinking that Francis was the man with riches. He had grinned and laughed. Francis told her that the adopter was actually a single man who didn't have time to find a child himself. The woman shook her head disdainfully. What kind of a man doesn't even come to the actual adoption himself? Though, she carried out with the adoption. She told Francis she couldn't continue the adoption unless she got a witnessed signature, so they couldn't go out to find a child to adopt until the day after. It was a very strange procedure, but she figured that it was fine.

And now, the three were heading out to the fifth foster home that day. Kiku was there simply because he was the butler, and because he was the most trustworthy out of all the people anyone could trust. Francis could say that he was only there for the fun, but he really did worry about who the child would be. Additionally, no one else was trustworthy enough to find and care for a child. He was second to Kiku in trustworthiness. Maybe Francis did act perverted, but he was a good man with faulty humor. "Everyone is like that," he would always say.

"Park here," the woman spoke. As she finished, Kiku instantly turned to park in front of an old lime green house.

Maybe Francis and Kiku weren't ones to judge a house considering their lifestyle, but the two couldn't help but wonder how much longer the house could stand. Kiku turned green at the idea of bugs. If there was one thing this butler couldn't do, it was kill bugs. Unless he was armed with a spray bottle of bug killer. Unless the bug was a cockroach. The bugs were the reason they let Elizabeth into their home. She killed all the bugs for him and the other housekeepers. They couldn't let Kiku near them. "Men," she would scoff. But afterwards she would scold herself for thinking that way.

Kiku exited the car and walked around the front to pull the door open for the woman. She blushed at the sentiment and nodded her thanks his way. He replied with a polite smile. Francis exited the limo and followed the two into the house. Hopefully it wouldn't collapse on them.

* * *

"Al, help me clean out the closet," Matthew drawled. He was still tired and hoped to get in a nap once Miss Morgans was out with Ray.

"Alright, alright," Alfred responded. He jumped up from the chair and moved to the broken closet. It was no exaggeration. The closet had a hole on the right side which connecting to the small closet space in Morgans' office. Additionally, the boxes of miscellaneous cooking things to old toys were crooked and bent. There were actual moth holes in piles of clothing and some old coats were ripped apart. Sadly for the boys, they had to wear those coats in the winter. Morgans always said that if they wanted new coats they would have to stop eating so much, but they never did stop eating all of that junk food. Alfred moved a dirty sock with his shoe carefully and looked at his brother. "So what are we looking for?"

"I'm trying to find something for you to put in Aaron's bed," Matthew answered, kicking away a suspicious looking piece of clothing from his sight. "I don't want it to be too disgusting. Just something to warn him, that's all."

"We're terrible role models," Alfred followed up, grinning.

"No, you're a terrible role model," Matthew corrected. "How did I become like this? You, of course. I spend way too much time with you."

"Well, who else are you going to spend it with?" Alfred muttered.

They kicked away all of the repulsive pieces of clothing and tried finding a suitable amount of 'yuck' on a shirt or pair of shorts. Often Alfred would gesture to a yellowed shirt with his shoe and Matthew would shake his head. "Not that one," he would say.

Alfred moved to the right side with the hole and rummaged through the clothing, letting Matthew move to the back of the closet.

" _You're here to adopt?"_

Alfred stopped. He tugged on Matthew's shirt sleeve and gestured for him to come over once he got his attention. The two moved to the hole and listened.

" _Yes, we'd like to take a look at the kids."_

Matthew and Alfred shot each other a look. Were these the people Elijah was talking about? The two moved into the office closet and opened the door slightly. They peeked out the door and saw three people talking to Morgans. One was a skinny woman with short brown hair, another was a man with blond waves and a subtle grin on his face, the last was a man with ebony hair wearing a black vest over a white button shirt.

"Is there a certain... preference?" Miss Morgans asked, vexed. She was talking to Ray on the phone a few minutes ago, and she wasn't willing to hang up on her boyfriend.

"I'd like to see them first," Francis said.

Kiku inspected the room without letting his eyes wander around too much. He spotted somebody—no two small figures on his right. Francis was too busy eyeing Morgans and the other woman was writing details on a clipboard of paper. Kiku nudged Francis' knee discreetly. Francis noticed and let the woman have her turn with conversation. Francis glanced at Kiku's hand which pointed to their right. He settled his eyes on a closet, the door slightly ajar. Francis caught small movements from inside the area. He nods slightly in response to Kiku and pretends that he didn't see anything.

"I- I'm sorry..." Miss Morgans stutters. "If you want to see all of them, you'd have to come by some other day." She did not want the lady with official papers connected to the law see the mess of a house these kids were living in. At least, not until she cleaned up a bit.

"Then maybe we do have some preferences...?" Francis glanced at Kiku and he sent a smirk that only Kiku would see.

Kiku raised a brow, but he had a fun smirk on his face as well. "Yes, I suppose we do."

"I think that we'd like to see some more fun faces around the house," Francis added. "After all, the adopter is a bit uptight, so we should have a few kids to loosen him up. Even troublesome kids, I prefer."

Kiku nodded. He glanced at the closet and saw a face in the doorway. Blond hair covered his bright cerulean eyes. "Maybe someone similar in appearance to him? Are there any blond boys here?"

Alfred's heart skipped a beat. Were those two... He turned to Matthew and saw a similar look of revelation on his face. They grinned and opened the door a bit more this time to take a closer look. Alfred couldn't contain his excitement, and his face emanated in hope. Maybe this could be it. Matthew, though, was a lot more contained. His small smile inched on his face and his eyes flickered in anticipation.

"Happy and excited!" Francis added, Alfred in the corner of his eye.

"Possibly quiet and kind? A child that could open a cold man's heart slowly?" Kiku followed up with Matthew's sparkling eyes in the corner of _his_ eye.

Yes, yes. Please keep on talking, Alfred and Matthew thought. But the situation was interrupted when a boy knocked on the door. Miss Morgans groaned noticeably and told the child to come in.

"What is it, Alex?" she asked.

Alex sneezed into his elbow. "I think Charlie let a cat in again..."

Morgans groaned again. "I'll lecture him later. Go outside until I clean his mess. Close the door." Alex nodded. He exited the room before sneezing again. Alfred and Matthew knew what Alex was doing. He, Charlie, and Elijah must be trying to get some information on the adopters by sending in Alex. None of those boys weren't going to get out of the foster home yet. It would be Alfred and Matthew.

"Hmm... How about age?" Miss Morgans said. "I have one boy who seems like that. Elijah. Though age is a big factor in adoption, isn't it?"

And that was how their heart sunk... until Francis spoke up.

"Age...?" He let his eyes wander around the room. Then he stopped on the closet. Alfred and Matthew knew it. This could be their chance. Francis looked at Kiku. "What do you think, Kiku?"

The butler, being as reliable as he was, could tell a person's age just by looking. Kiku made it seem as if he was looking at Francis, though he was really studying Alfred and Matthew's faces. "Too young may not be good. We live in a big place, you see. We need kids who are responsible for themselves. What is the age of the oldest you have here?"

Maybe Kiku made himself too suspicious. Miss Morgans stared at him suspiciously. "Thirteen. But teenagers don't seem to be... popular."

Kiku smiled politely. "I think thirteen is perfect." He let his teeth show to humor himself. "I don't mean to be rude to my boss, but he is a bit older than most adopters. Plus, teenagers seem to be perfect to break through his shell."

Francis choked back a laugh in spite of the suspecting mood in the room. By now, Miss Morgan was furrowing her brows together in suspicion and frustration. The other woman was watching warily with nervous eyes. But Kiku and Francis were determined. Maybe they didn't even know those two boys, but it had to be worth it in the end.

"So..." Miss Morgans said, smiling to herself after a realization, "let me go find the one." She made way to stand up, but Kiku attacks.

"Excuse me..." His brow rose. "One?"

"Is there a problem?" she asked.

"We never specified that we wanted _one_ , Miss Morgans."

"You'd like two?" she mumbles. Kiku nodded.

Francis didn't pretend that he was looking away this time. And the twins knew it. Hand in hand, they squeezed their cheeks together. They brought their hands up to show how inseparable they were. They grinned widely. "Preferably brothers," Francis added with a smile.

Morgans grinned. "Perfect! Elijah and Alex are perfect! Elijah is getting close to being thirteen, and Alex is eleven. They'll love it at your home!"

Four hearts dropped to the floor.

"Oh... I forgot something," Kiku added. "We have animals inside and outside of the house. We can't have anyone allergic to dogs or cats." That was it: the final attack. You could practically hear the victory music from an RPG playing in the background.

Morgans pursed her lips. "I think I know the _perfect_ two. Excuse me, please. Their papers are in a different room." She left the office.

Francis turned to the closet and winked. "Pack your bags. You're going home."

* * *

 **AN: Disclaimer: I don't know how adoptions are supposed to go, so sue me.**

 **I hope the rest of the chapters go well, considering how much better this could have been.**


	2. Occhiolism

**AN: _Annie_ references... I recently watched the 2014 version, and there will be references from both the original and the 2014 version.**

* * *

 _They could make out the largeness of the world in their rest. How small and practically insignificant they were to this world._

May 30 – Day 1

Alfred crashed into Matthew playfully and flopped onto the old bed. "I can't believe it, Mattie! We're getting out of here!" He sat up and tackled his brother. "This is the greatest moment of my entire life!"

"I understand, Alfred," Matthew managed to heave. He grinned. "I'm happy, too. Get off and get all your stuff so we can leave sooner."

"Congratulations!" Elijah shouted, walking into the room. "You guys deserve it! Plus, I don't want to share my bed with Alex anymore."

"Feel free to use it," Alfred said, getting off his brother. "Once the papers are official, we can leave this place!"

"Have fun at your new home," Charlie told. "Make friends with the others there."

"Oh yeah," Alfred mumbled. "I was so excited about leaving that I forgot that we'd be meeting new people."

"Don't you remember what the black-haired man said, Alfred?" Matthew asked. "He said there were animals inside the house. _Animals._ Even outside! They must be rich!"

"It's crazy!" Alfred exclaimed. "We're being adopted by a rich guy! How big do you think their house is?!"

"Bigger than this one, probably," Adam added to the conversation. "If the guy is rich, that must mean those two work for him."

"The guy in the vest was obviously some kind of a butler," Alfred commented. "But that other guy is a bit... weird."

"He looks normal," Matthew said. "Maybe he's a friend."

The group of boys spent a few seconds in silence, wondering about the new family. It was obvious they were rich, but they weren't sure on how rich the family was. Thousands? Millions? Billions? It was almost bizarre that a rich family wanted to adopt foster kids. Maybe they weren't as rich as they thought they were. Then two thoughts slapped the two boys in the chest.

"What if they don't end up liking us?" Alfred muttered.

"What if they treat us badly?" Matthew whispered.

"They won't!" Charlie reassured. "If they do, I'll go and beat them up for you!"

"Charlie, you won't even chase a fly out of the room. What makes you think you can beat up grown men?" Elijah sighed.

"But those two seemed nice. Why would you think that?" Adam asked.

Alfred smiled hopefully. "You're right. I guess we were just overreacting." Matthew nodded.

"BOYS!" Everyone jumped at the sound of Miss Morgans' voice. "They're here!"

The twins threw a backpack over their shoulders and ran out the door. They stopped short and turned to the others. The brothers flashed a smile to them. The three smiled back. Adam walked up and embraced them in his arms.

"Good luck," he whispered.

Charlie hopped over, bringing a vexed Elijah with him. "I don't want to hug-"

"Ssh!" Charlie mumbled. "This is a loving moment!" He threw himself into the hug and forced Elijah to join. Their arms surrounded the twins, filling them with hope. When they released the two, Morgans called out for the brothers again.

They said their good-byes and the twins left.

"Don't forget us."

* * *

"Here they are," Morgans announced. She pushed Matthew and Alfred out the door and stared at Francis. "Can I go now? I have children to look after, you know?"

"You're excused," Francis said with a raised brow. When she shut the door, he turned to the brothers. "She's not very nice."

"Better than some of them," Alfred mumbled. He thought Francis didn't hear him, but the man had. Francis pursed his lips at the thought of someone being worse than this woman.

He ushered the boys to the car at which the two stared in awe. "This is yours?" Alfred gushed. He studied the sleek black car from the side and mouthed his excitement.

"It's not mine," Francis chuckled. "It's Arthur's."

"Arthur...?" Matthew repeated.

"The adopter," Francis clarified. He paused to consider his chances then proceeded carefully. "Your dad." The two glanced at each other warily. Francis noticed this and opened the door for the two to enter. The boys and soon Francis filed into the car. "If you don't remember from yesterday, I'm Francis. Kiku is the one who's driving."

Kiku sent a polite smile towards the two. "Are you comfortable?"

"Of course!" Alfred burst. Matthew elbowed him in the ribs and sent him a careful look. Alfred frowned and gestured to the entire car with his head as if to say "oh, come on."

"Why don't we tell you a bit about home?" Francis suggested. "What would you like to know?"

"Um..." Matthew started.

Alfred was a bit more blunt. "Will you guys treat us badly?"

Kiku raised a brow. Francis hid a grin. "You think we'll treat you like slaves?"

Matthew raised his voice. "You won't?"

"I'm sure."

"I bet everyone else will," Alfred added softly.

"Why are you two so pessimistic?" Francis asked. The boys looked up at him worriedly. The man sighed. "Everyone is nice."

"Everyone?" Matthew whispered.

Francis hesitated. "Some of them are a bit cold at first. But don't worry, since the others will protect you from them." He laughed. The boys still looked worried.

"Francis-san is a very nice man, once you realize that his perverseness is just to humor himself." Everyone turned their attention to Kiku's soothing voice. "Francis-san is very kind. He makes sure everyone is loved at home. Arthur-san is a bit distant at first. He always is. But he is hardworking and makes sure we have a home. Once you get to know him, he's very sweet and takes care of you lovingly."

"What about you?" Alfred asked.

"Kiku is amazing," Francis explained with a grin. "He's like some kind of superhero whose weakness is bugs." At this, Matthew and Alfred cracked a smile. Kiku himself smiled at Francis' attempt to reassure the boys. "He drives you everywhere. He asks how your day was. He makes sure you're asleep in your bed at night. He brings you tea when you can't fall asleep. He buys you the gifts you were sure you didn't tell anybody about on Christmas. He knows when you're angry or frustrated. He saves you from your nightmares."

Kiku scoffed lightly. "You're exaggerating." Francis made his smile visible in the rearview mirror and let the silence fall for a while. Kiku continued to tell the two about the others.

"Elizabeta-san is our housekeeper. She cleans and cleans and doesn't forget to tell you a story as she does it. Roderich-san is a pianist. He plays during events and parties. He's a bit distant, but he doesn't mind teaching anyone how to play. Gilbert-san is... a bit odd." Francis laughed at this. "He likes to describe himself as 'awesome' and he refers to Arthur-san as 'a friend with benefits'."

"Before I forget," Francis said, "I want to tell you about Kiku's family. Since he doesn't like referring to them as his family." He paused and noticed Kiku roll his eyes. "Yao, his older brother-" Kiku audibly scoffed at this. "is the chef. Kiku's other siblings either help out in the kitchen or clean up. Other times they just play around together. You'll get along with them."

Kiku continued for the rest or the drive. He started again with Ludwig. "He's very hardworking. Ludwig-san is Arthur-san's secretary. The man looks scary and is strict, but he's just a sweet little puppy." Francis laughed again. "He's the younger brother of Gilbert-san. Ludwig-san is close to one of our gardeners, Feliciano-kun. Feliciano-kun is very kind and maybe clumsy, but he is very smart. His triplet brothers are Lovino-san and Seb-kun. Seb-kun isn't seen often, but he's charming and fun. Lovino-san can be... very temperamental and vulgar at times. But he's almost always like that, so it's normal. Though, he is very caring when it gets down to it. All three of them are our gardeners." Kiku paused to take a breath and to check if the boys were listening. They seemed to be listening intently, their eyes resting on Kiku's shoulders.

"Antonio-san takes care of the animals: horses, cats, dogs, fish, turtles... He teaches all of the kids he sets his eyes on how to ride horses and take care of them. He's very fond of the horses. Though he doesn't have to do much for the dogs, since Ludwig-san takes care of them mostly. Antonio-san is very sweet and he loves taking the horses out for runs. He often goes with Gilbert-san or Francis-san. While all of them are kind, everybody can be troublesome. Especially those three." Again Kiku stopped to listen to everybody's silence.

The ride to the house was a long way. It took an average of two and a half hours to get home. Kiku let the silence seep into the boys and soothe them completely. Then he continued.

"If you want to know who the scariest person is, it must be Ivan-san. He can be too much sometimes, but often he is with Yao-san or Arthur-san so you will be fine. He is very big and tall, but he only resorts to violence if you provoke him. Ivan-san also spends his time in the gardens as well. Yao-san says that he's not too bad once you get close to him. Other times you can see him bossing around three of our other housekeepers. Raivis-kun is the youngest of the three. He's very smart, though you can't tell since he's very shy. Eduard-san is very calm and collected, and is good with technology. The last of them is Toris-san. He can be very serious and introverted, but he can be very kind and concerned for everybody. Sometimes Toris-san can get in trouble for being so kind. He spends a lot of time with Feliks-san, the outfitter. He works with Francis-san often." Kiku paused once more.

"Then there are Berwald-san, Tino-san, Abel-san, Lukas-san, and Emil-san. Most of the time they run around having fun, but they are a very nice family. Berwald-san looks scary, but he's not at all. Tino-san is usually very kind until someone provokes him or his friends. Abel-san is very troublesome, but he isn't mean or puts anyone in harm's way. Lukas-san and Emil-san have a strange relationship-"

"It's the relationship Yao and Kiku have except less choatic," Francis explained. The boys smiled softly and Kiku scoffed softly.

"It seems... nice," Matthew mumbled. He yawned and leaned his head against the window. "I hope we get there soon." Alfred nodded in agreement and rested his head against his brother's shoulder. Kiku smiled; he wasn't even finished talking about all the people. The two closed their eyes to the sound of the air blowing around the car. The smell of cool air nipped at the boys' necks through the open windows in the back. They could make out the largeness of the world in their rest. How small and practically insignificant they were to this world. But it comforted the both of them when they could also make out the small sound of two humming voices right before they fell asleep.

* * *

"Alfred, Matthew," Francis called. "Wake up."

Their eyes fluttered open and they found the orange sunset light spotted the car and their arms and legs. Matthew shrugged Alfred's head off his shoulder and stretched. Alfred soon repeated the action and smiled. "Is this it?" he asked, wide awake.

"What?" Matthew groaned. Alfred sighed.

"It's the house, Mattie," he reminded. Alfred heard Matthew grumble something inaudible underneath his breath.

Alfred and Matthew looked to their right and saw Kiku opening the door for the three of them. Francis exited first, then Alfred and Matthew. They gaped at the sight of the large estate. The boys only moved when Kiku and Francis urged them to come inside. The two watched as Kiku unlocked the door with a key in his pocket. He swung the door open and gestured for them to enter.

Immediately flooding their sight was the white light that pooled out of the entrance and reached out to the car's tires. The light source was a towering chandelier in the middle of the entrance. To the back were two sets of stairs leading to the same floor. The steps were covered in red carpet and seemed to go on forever. The tiled floor shone brilliantly and reflected the boys appearance clearly. Doors to mysterious rooms seemed to be everywhere. One in the back, three to the right, and two to the left. And from they stood, Alfred and Matthew could make out even more doors. It was huge and they were small. It smelled like the foster homes they lived in except... well, cleaner.

They noticed the numerous eyes peeking out from behind doorways and wall corners. There were so many people here... When they were listening to Kiku, they realized that there were many people living here, but they never _realized_ how many people lived inside of this gigantic building. They immediately tensed at the sight of them. Alfred and Matthew could hear whispers and murmurs from the hiding people.

The brothers glanced at each other. They slipped a hand in the other's and squeezed together. They almost never did this, especially at thirteen. But they couldn't help it. It was an entirely new place. Nothing here was like what they experienced at the foster homes. The people are different, the kids, the rooms, the pillows, the bathrooms, the kitchens, the food, the floors, the ceilings, the clothes, the shoes, the coats, the walls, the doors, the activities... This was a strange feeling of discomfort... it reminded them more of curiosity and wonder.

Suddenly, a figure appeared from behind the farthest door on the left. The figure was a young woman with long caramel hair up in a ponytail. She wore a white short sleeve blouse and blue skirt reaching to her kneecaps. Confidently, she walked over to the two boys and smiled widely. "Hi," she said. She grinned even wider and studied the two. "I'm Elizabeta. I'm one of the housekeepers here." She reaches out her hand and one at a time, the two shake her hand. "You two are Alfred and Matthew. I don't know a lot about you two, but I hope we can be friends."

Matthew glanced at Alfred and Alfred did so back. They smiled at each other. It was the kind of face that sent a certain message between twins.

 _I think I'm gonna like it here._

* * *

 **AN: Hope you enjoyed! Have a cookie!**


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